Amazon.com (ISBN 0789720795, Paperback)

Unlike other books on the subject, Jesse Liberty's C++ from Scratch takes a novel approach to teaching C++ by providing the design and code for a single project--a number-guessing game called Decryptix!. Written for the beginning or intermediate C++ user, this entertaining and intelligent title gives you an excellent tour of central C++ features without getting lost in overwhelming detail.

What's best about C++ from Scratch is the author's clear and understandable tutorial of the C++ language using a single program, Decryptix!, which is built in steps throughout this book. Early chapters look at core C++ features (such as keywords and class design fundamentals) as the basic program functionality is written. The author's first chapters provide one of the clearest introductions to C++ you're likely to find.

Later chapters add more advanced features, such as computerized guessing and the ability to save and restore a game. The Decryptix! game feels just right for the book's approach. This command-line (nongraphical) game is just complex enough to introduce important C++ features (such as linked lists, templates, Standard Template Library [STL], and persistence) in a context most newcomers will easily understand.

A notable chapter on the C++ canonical methods, including default and copy constructors, explains how every well-behaved class should be implemented and will be invaluable to those approaching class design for the first time. The author's bibliography near the end of the book (which lists several of his other well-known C++ titles) shows you what to read next during the development of your C++ programming skills.

Written with a practical eye toward presenting the best of the C++ language quickly, C++ from Scratch lets the beginner get started with C++ successfully without much of the syntactic difficulty that's commonly associated with this powerful language. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered: C++ basics, encapsulation, delegation, specialization, operators and flow control, class design, pointers, arrays, linked lists, canonical methods, polymorphism, templates, STL, persistence, exceptions, Decryptix!.